Bed down with tech chiefs, celebs … or stay on your sofa • The Register

But if the prospect of spending a night with your peers raising cash for homeless and vulnerable youngsters doesn’t ring your bell, don’t despair. While those plucky types – such as Reg reader Regina Bluman – shake out their bedrolls, you can rest easy at home and call in some cash instead.

Whatever you decide, your first stop should be the Action for Children Byte Night webpage.

From there you can quickly and painlessly donate anything from £3, to £100 or beyond, to Action for Children, safe in the knowledge that a) you’ll be helping vulnerable kids and their families, and b) you will be running no risk of getting a nasty chill whatsoever.

If you’re more daring, like the nightlife, like the boogie, and have access to a sleeping bag, you can still register to join Byte Night on Friday October 6, at any one of the ten spots up and down the UK. All you need to do is raise at least £500 in sponsorship (£1000 if you’re sleeping out in London).

In return, you’ll get a groundsheet, survival bag, dinner, beanie, umbrella, and a piping hot breakfast, and the chance to bed down with your peers, from brave help-desk first jobbers, to some of the most senior CIOs in the land.

And if the prospect of bumping into some of the biggest names in UK IT doesn’t stir you, you might even bump into a celebrity or two. (We’re reliably informed that Angela Rippon is popping down – anyone who’s been on a Morecombe and Wise Christmas Special is A list in our book)

So, there you have it. You can help at street level, or sofa level. Just as long as you help. ®